Panthers earn state-wide rep as winners

Ridge Point finishes fourth in Class 5A Lone Star Cup standings

Published 3:08 pm, Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance

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Ridge Point Panthers Gabby Garrison, from right, Allison Washington, Lindsey Longuet, Bri Nunn, Helena Febre, Lauren Stickler and Kendal Stafford (13), cheer for their teammates while they bat in the top of the 1st inning against the Aledo Ladycats in their Class 5A UIL State Softball Championship semi-final matchup at McCombs Field in Austin on Friday, June 5, 2015. (Photo by Jerry Baker/Freelance) less

Ridge Point Panthers Gabby Garrison, from right, Allison Washington, Lindsey Longuet, Bri Nunn, Helena Febre, Lauren Stickler and Kendal Stafford (13), cheer for their teammates while they bat in the top of the ... more

Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance

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Ridge Point's run to the state tournament was the latest success in what has become a string of them for the Panthers.

Ridge Point's run to the state tournament was the latest success in what has become a string of them for the Panthers.

Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance

Panthers earn state-wide rep as winners

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Ridge Point sports fans have known for a while the 2014-15 school year was a special one on the field. Now they have something tangible to hang their hats on.

The school tied for fourth among Class 5A schools statewide in the UIL's Lone Star Cup standings.

The standings are based on all teams' performances in district and state championships. One Lone Star Cup is awarded to the winner in all six classifications. In addition to athletics, schools also earn points based on their performances in the UIL's marching band, one-act play and academic competitions.

Austin Vandergrift finished first in Class 5A with 94 points. Aledo finished second with 85 points and Grapevine third with 83 points. Ridge Point and Cedar Park tied for fourth with 68 points apiece. The only other Houston-area school to finish in the top four was Seven Lakes, which was fourth in Class 6A.

Ridge Point's success on the field began in the fall when its football team broke through to win its first district title. Then it played into the regional semifinals for the first time in school history.

Also in the fall, the volleyball team accomplished the same feats also for the first time.

Both soccer teams played into the regional tournament, with the girls team making it to the regional final. The baseball team played to the third round.

The softball team saved the best for last. The Lady Panthers won the Class 5A, Region III title, giving the school its first state tournament berth in a team sport.

The good news for Ridge Point is that most of the teams have high hopes for next season, too, giving its fans reason to believe the Panthers could challenge for a Lone Star Cup title at some point in the near future.

Baseball awards

Houston 5A Baseball long has been the go-to source for high school baseball in the Houston area. Last week the Web site (www.h5ab.com) released its 2015 season awards. There were plenty of Fort Bend players on the list.

Kempner's Tanner Scheutz led the way after being named the Hitter of the Year. Scheutz led the Houston area with nine home runs during the regular season. Nick Anderson, a teammate of Scheutz's, was named to the first team as a designated hitter.

Kempner had several other players honored. Ruben Honcock was a third team third baseman. Karan Patel and Connor Berry were honorable mention pitchers. Jorge Gutierrez, a Texas A&M pledge, was a third team shortstop. Jordan Jones was a third team designated hitter.

Dulles first baseman Josh Biles was named to the second team. He was second in Houston with eight home runs during the regular season. Clements outfielder Danny Priwin and Travis third baseman Josh Wallace also were named to the second team.

Dulles designated hitter Ron Washington and Travis utility player Ryan Rickett were named to the third team. Austin's Vibhav Joopeli was an honorable mention pitcher.

Baseball

The Fort Bend Baseball League is in its 25th year of existence. The championship game will be played at Constellation Field on July 18.